Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The over-hyped news reports about the F-16 that Shahidflew as part of his role as an air force pilot was just much ado about nothing meant to camouflage the real story about Shahid's air force training for his role in Pankaj Kapoor's Mausam.

The shooting started from Wednesday at the Gwalior airbase. Every attempt was made to keep the venue and the dynamics of Shahid's air force activities a secret.

Says a source, "Permission to shoot at the Gwalior airbase has been secured after clearance from the highest levels in the Capital on condition that there would be no disturbance or disruption in the airbase routine of any sort whatsoever."

To ensure that the Mausam crew's presence in Gwalior was not revealed to the people of Gwalior, the entire crew has been instructed to stay at the airbase.

This is where the problem crept in. Plans to house Shahid within the airbase had to be aborted after being defined as a "security hazard".

Says a source, "On a trial visit to the Gwalior base, it was discovered that the cadets at the airbase could not focus on their duties with Shahid in their midst. He has therefore been instructed to seek accommodation in a hotel while the rest of the crew will stay at the airbase."

Producer Sheetal Talwar refuses to divulge any details on the whereabouts of the airbase shooting. "All I can tell you is, we are now shooting all the scenes of Shahid's as an air force pilot in the next one week."

These sequences form a vital part of the narrative. Director Pankaj Kapoor has worked out all the details of the airbase shooting to avoid even the smallest delay or glitch. But concealing Shahid's presence in Gwalior is expected to be a problem.